HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The Harris County District Attorney's Office confirmed it plans to refer the case of a county deputy who is accused of fatally shooting a shoplifting suspect to a grand jury sometime in July.
The shooting happened one year ago on July 8, 2022, when Sergeant Garret W. Hardin responded to a shoplifting call. The Harris County Sheriff's Office released the body camera video later that month.
After seeing the video, the family of the man accused of shoplifting, 47-year-old Roderick Vankeith Brooks, called it an execution.
"We want the world to know Roderick was executed," his sister, Demetria Brooks-Glaze said at the time. "We seen him get executed."
His family said Brooks was shoplifting shampoo before he was shot and killed.
"Shoplifting does not warrant to kill a man," Brooks-Glaze said.
Brooks' family held a vigil on Saturday night, marking one year since the shooting.
"Anybody can put themselves in our shoes," Brooks-Glaze said. "If it was your loved one, your sister, your brother, your daughter, your son had their face pushed in the hot concrete, and you can answer that question yourself. How would you feel?"
According to the sheriff's office, Hardin had been with the force for 20 years at the time of the shooting. He was placed on administrative leave following the shooting. We've reached out to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to find out if he's still on leave.
What the body camera shows
In the video, Hardin is seen pulling into a parking lot to follow the man accused of shoplifting Roderick Vankeith Brooks, 47.
Hardin gets out of his patrol vehicle and yells at Brooks, "Come here, dude." Brooks responds by running through a gas station parking lot. Hardin chases after Brooks and fires his Taser, striking him. Brooks, who had just run into a car that was pulling into the gas station, stopped moving and Hardin tackled him to the ground losing control of the Taser, the video appears to show.
While Hardin is on top of Brooks' back, Brooks struggles to try and get up and manages to grab the Taser but appears unable to lift his arms.
Hardin responded by telling Brooks, "I'm going to shoot you, put that down. I will f****** shoot you."
Hardin is then seen pulling out his pistol as Brooks loses control of the Taser. While Hardin is still on top of Brooks' back, Brooks appears to grab the Taser again and pulls it toward his own body.
Hardin then fired his pistol, shooting Brooks.
As Brooks lay motionless on the ground, Hardin appears to apply pressure to the wound while talking on his radio.
"Shots fired," Hardin said in his first radio message. Moments later he spoke on the radio again. "I'm in the gas station parking lot, Bammelwood and Kuykendahl. Suspect's down. Need EMS."
According to HCSO, the shooting happened around 6:21 p.m. Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:31 p.m.